• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.168-174
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• 2021

Korea is ranked as the world's No. 1 country in its aging rate. While the interest and demand for health is rapidly increasing, the health status of the elderly is in the lowest among OECD members. Increased chronic diseases, the burden of medical costs and digital/untact changes of societies after COVID-19 have caused the direction of healthcare to be changed from treatment oriented to health care and prevention oriented, along with increased income levels and a desire for a healthy life. Amid this paradigm of change, the gap in health standards and health inequality for the elderly according to local structure and social conditions affects not only socio-economic but also the quality of life for individual senior citizen. Utilizing prior data of Aging Research Panel Survey, this study aims to compare and analyze health conditions and regional gaps which are significant influences on the satisfaction of the life of the elderly, and to suggest direction of studies for health care to provide solutions for health inequalities. The findings are intended to be a basic data for researching models of the New Normal Smart Healthcare System that bridge the health gap between the elderly and enhance life satisfaction with health care models suitable for regional characteristics in aging society.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2011

Objectives: This study gathered basic information for the development of a health promotion policy for employees and the selection of participants for health education by identifying the impact of socioeconomic status and health behavior on the health status of males and females. Methods: The 2008 National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey data were used to examine relationships between socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and health status of male and female employees. For the analysis, the $X^2$ test and logistic regression were used. Results: Heath behaviors had a very slight impact of the association between socioeconomic status and health status among male and female employees. And patterns of health inequality had the gender difference. Conclusions: When developing a health promotion policy for employees, and selecting health education subjects, it is necessary to consider both socioeconomic status and gender.

• The Journal of Health Technology Assessment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.100-105
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to investigate regional variations of mastication difficulty rates in the elderly over 65 in 229 primary autonomous districts in Korea and explore relevant characteristics. For the research data, local community health survey conducted in 2015 and data from Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health & Welfare, National Health Insurance Service and Statistics Korea were used. Methods: Frequency analysis was conducted for general characteristics and mastication difficulty rates of each region, and distribution of mastication difficulty rates was displayed for each town, city and province by mapping them. Extremal quotient (EQ), coefficient of variation (CV) values were calculated for regional variations, and logistic regression analysis was performed to reveal the relationship between each independent variable and mastication difficulty rates. Results: The average of standardized mastication difficulty rate was 46.78%, and regional variations were significant with EQ 3.46, CV 0.18. Characteristic factors that have significant effects on mastication difficulty rate included sex ratio, elderly population and the number of dentists per 10000 people. Conclusion: As a result, there were variations among mastication difficulty rates in 229 primary local governments across the country, and the distribution of health care resources by the characteristics of the local environment by region affected mastication difficulty rates. Accordingly, it is required to provide political supports to overcome regional inequality of oral health levels and develop cooperative system between local governments and local dentists.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.220-227
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess how different social determinants of health (SDoH) may be related to variability in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rates in cities and towns in Massachusetts (MA). Methods: Data about the total number of cases, tests, and rates of COVID-19 as of June 10, 2020 were obtained for cities and towns in MA. The data on COVID-19 were matched with data on various SDoH variables at the city and town level from the American Community Survey. These variables included information about income, poverty, employment, renting, and insurance coverage. We compared COVID-19 rates according to these SDoH variables. Results: There were clear gradients in the rates of COVID-19 according to SDoH variables. Communities with more poverty, lower income, lower insurance coverage, more unemployment, and a higher percentage of the workforce employed in essential services, including healthcare, had higher rates of COVID-19. Most of these differences were not accounted for by different rates of testing in these cities and towns. Conclusions: SDoH variables may explain some of the variability in the risk of COVID-19 across cities and towns in MA. Data about SDoH should be part of the standard surveillance for COVID-19. Efforts should be made to address social factors that may be putting communities at an elevated risk.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.49-61
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• 2024

South Korea faces a declining population and rural areas vanishing due to urbanization. Infrastructure, especially medical facilities, may not be sustainable for a long-term. This may impact vulnerable groups like children, teens, and the elderly, worsened by an aging population and low birth rates. Gangwon-do, notably Chuncheon-si, suffers from rural depopulation and poor healthcare self-sufficiency. In this paper, using 2SFCA(Two-Step Floating Catchment Area), we analyze healthcare access in Chuncheon-si, identifying gaps and vulnerable areas. LISA analysis helps map medical vulnerability, considering patient demand and supply. The Gini coefficient assesses spatial inequality. We propose distributing healthcare services and personnel based on age and region. The aim is to identify locations for additional hospitals catering to the elders, Infants, Children, and Adolescents,considering spatial accessibility.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2024

Background: The population of Gangneung City in South Korea has shown a gradual increase in the proportion of individuals aged 65 years and older, and the most frequently reported diseases for several years have consistently been periodontal diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis. The regional imbalance in the distribution of dental personnel and resources has emerged as a problem of inequality in the use of dental care. It has been advocated to identify areas with disadvantages in dental care and develop public dental policies based on that. This study aimed to develop a customized oral healthcare program for local seniors based on a Public-Private-Academic Partnership, and to evaluate the oral health status of older adults in Gangneung City. Methods: The participants were residents aged 60 years and above in Gangneung City. A questionnaire including general information, systemic health status, and oral health status was administered to the participants. In addition, oral healthcare and education tailored to each individual's health status were provided once or twice based on their oral health status. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 for descriptive statistical analysis. Results: Among the older adults in Gangneung City, 75% had at least one prosthesis and exhibited symptoms of gingivitis or periodontitis. Additionally, the modified sulcus bleeding index decreased among participants who underwent the program twice. Over 90% of the participants expressed satisfaction with the program. Conclusion: The program appeared to contribute positively to the oral health promotion among local seniors. Further oral healthcare programs should focus on seniors in rural and old urban areas to reduce disparities in oral health across regions.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.1026-1033
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• 2018

Purpose: Consistent evidence indicates that cervical and breast cancer screening rates are low among socioeconomically deprived women. This study aimed to assess trends in cervical and breast cancer screening rates and to analyze socioeconomic inequalities among Korean women from 2005 to 2015. Materials and Methods: Data from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual nationwide cross-sectional survey, were utilized. A total of 19910 women were finally included for analysis. Inequalities in education and household income status were estimated by slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII), along with calculation of annual percent changes (APCs), to show trends in cancer screening rates. Results: Cervical and breast cancer screening rates increased from 54.8% in 2005 to 65.6% in 2015 and from 37.6% in 2005 to 61.2% in 2015, respectively. APCs in breast cancer screening rates were significant among women with higher levels of household income and education status. Inequalities by household income in cervical cancer screening uptake were observed with a pooled SII estimate of 10.6% (95% CI: 8.1 to 13.2) and RII of 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3 to 1.6). Income inequalities in breast cancer screening were shown to gradually increase over time with a pooled SII of 5.9% (95% CI: 2.9 to 9.0) and RII of 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9 to 1.3). Educational inequalities appeared to diminish over the study period for both cervical and breast cancer screening. Conclusion: Our study identified significant inequalities among socioeconomically deprived women in cervical and breast cancer screening in Korea. Especially, income-related inequalities were greater than education-related inequalities, and these were constant from 2005 to 2015 for both cervical and breast cancer screening.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.435-445
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• 2017

This study was conducted to overcome the limitations of prior research on the equity of medical care performed by identifying simple differences in the use of medical care or using limited medical needs and medical utilization indicators. Specifically, we used activity limits, chronic diseases, and subjective health status as medical needs, and used outpatient, inpatient, and emergency services as medical uses. In addition, we used concentration index, concentration curve, and Le Grand factor to analyze the equity of medical use considering medical needs. The main results are as follows. First, the amount of medical care for the low-income class is higher than that of the high-income class when considering the concentration of medical use. In particular, the number of hospitalization days for low-income households and hospitalization fees were higher than the fees of outpatient medical consultation and emergency room usage. Second, medical needs were concentrated in the low income class. In other words, low-income group is not as healthy as the high-income group. Third, the Le Grand factor was calculated in order to confirm the fairness of the medical uses considering the medical needs. Even if medical needs are taken into consideration, the high-income earners will have a large amount of medical care. In addition, when considering the limitation of activity and the number of chronic diseases, the medical use of the high income class was more frequent. However, when the subjective health condition and the chronic illness were considered, medical use of the low income class was more frequent. This may be due to the underestimation of the medical needs of the low-income earners by neglecting their own health status and perception of chronic diseases.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1-18
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• 2011

In this study, population census(2005 & 2008) from Statistics Korea and the statistical data of the number of hospital beds by healthcare facilities classification from Ministry of Health and Welfare were used. For analyzing distribution of hospital beds, hospital beds were classified as acute care beds, long-term care beds and all hospital beds, which is including acute and long-term care beds. Regional areas, which are city(si), county(goon) for the study and district(gu) were reclassified as metropolitan city, city(si) and county(goon). Because there were 165 regional areas in 2005 and 2008, 84 and 81 areas were classified as metropolitan city and/or city and county, respectively. Gini index were calculated for hospital beds from each year, and Lorenz curves were drawn. The following summary presents the findings of this study. Compared to the year 2005 and 2008, the Gini index was 0.24472, and hospital bed numbers increased slightly by 0.80% than in 2005. In case of acute care beds, the Gini index was 0.23797(0.13%), and there was no big difference; however, the Gini index for long-term care beds was 0.41091, and there was a 30.25% decrease, which shows improvement to reduce disparities. It might result from an increase in long-term care beds up to 476.2%. For geographical equality of hospital beds, the Gini index and Lorenz curve, which can be compared the degree of inequality in the distribution of hospital beds reasonably and possibly show statistical data, should be used. Through this study, the distribution policy of hospital beds should be established.